Improvement in automatic fire-escape for safes



I. PARKE.

Auto-matic Fire-Escape for Safes.

UNITED 'rnfrns IRA PARKE, OF MINERAL POINT, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC FIRE-ESCAPE FOR SFES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,174, dated August 26, 1873; application filed March 22, 1873.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA PARKE, of Mineral Point, in the county of Washington and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Fire-Escape for Safes, of which the following is a specification:

I propose to have a safe supported on casters or wheels on a platform having ways for the wheels, and pivoted at one end, while the end next to the wall'of the building is suspended by an easily-combustible rope or other contrivance, to be destroyed by a fuse or a gun discharged against it, or burned off' by the fire to let the platform fall; and the platform, which is arranged in front of a trapdoor in the wall opening into the street, is to unfasten the door in its fall and force it open, and the door is to form a continuation of a descending track, of which the platform is the other part, on which the safe Will roll into the street, and thus be saved from the fire. Fuse will be connected with the suspending-rope, and arranged throughout all parts of the building, to ignite the rope or discharge the gun against it whenthe fire breaks out in any part of the building; and the fuse will also be arranged to communicate the alarm to the office or other occupied room by setting off an alarm therein, say a bunch of fire-crackers, a firewheel, orthe like.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the trap-door, the suspending and fastening devices, and a section of the platform, the section being taken on the line w .fr of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 1 taken on the line yy. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the platform and the trapdoor in the positions for allowing the safe to run out.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is the platform, which is pivoted at D on a frame, B, which is elevated above the floor C as much as needed, to give the proper descent to the platform when it falls. The door is hinged at the lower end, M, to swing from the top down and out into the street; it has a hook-bolt, O, to engage in the floor when it is closed, besides the under-cut notches or sockets I), for the catches J to enter and set cure it thoroughly against removal by cutting the pivot-bolt at the outside. The bolt I is connected with the hook Q on the platform, so as to be pulled down out of its socket R, in the frame above the door, when the platform falls. S represents a tube open at both ends and attachedl to the door, so that when loaded one end will discharge outside and give an alarm before the door falls, to warn those near by in time to get out of the way, and the other end will discharge against the rope E,'when the tube is fired off by the fuse 'I connected to it and the suspending-rope, so

as to communicate fire to them in case the fuse is ignited by fire in any part of the building. U is the safe for which the escape is provided; it is mounted on the truck Vready to run out as soon as the platform falls and the door opens.

' The place for the tube S to discharge outside of the door, to give warning of the fall of the door, will, of course, be concealed, as a protection against being obstructed by mis chievous or evil-minded persons.

The fuse 'l may extend to the ofce or other occupiedrooln, to set an alarm of any kind therein.

The rope E may be loaded so as to explode, if preferred. y

The door is provided with notches X at the lower corners, for the catches J to fall into when it is open and the platform falls.

I do not limit myself to the particular arrangement of devices herein shown for carrying out my invention, for it is obvious that they may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A platform supporting the safe on wheels, and suspended on a pivot at one end, and an explosive or combustible cord or other device at the other end, in combination with a door in the Wall of tho building and fastening (le- Vioes therefor, arranged so that the falling of tho platform Will release the fastonings and cause the door to open, substantially as specified.

2. The said door arranged to constitute a continuation of the track for the safe-truck When open, substantially as specified.

3.3211@ combina-tion 0i' the bolt I, door K, and the platform, substantially as specitied.

4. The combination of the catches J with the platform A and door K, substantially as specified.

IRA PARKE. Witnesses:

F. WATSON, T. BOYD. 

